Aftermath
by Guifi
Summary: Raven and Beast Boy contemplate together in the aftermath of Malchior's betrayal.


**Title: Aftermath**

**Summary: Raven and Beast Boy contemplate together in the aftermath of Malchior's betrayal.**

**Genre: Friendship/Romance**

**Type: Oneshot**

**This story was actually pulled from my actual feelings for once. I've been rather confused as of late on something, and this popped into my head as a way of releasing that feeling. I'm dedicating it to a paranoid giraffe who knows who they are.**

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To juxtapose the city lights and the stars seemed a terrible thing. It was as if she were comparing a land fill to pure white snow and questioning which one was more beautiful; one just didn't do that sort of thing. She continued to do it anyway, weighing the pros and cons in her head, just to take her mind off other matters.

Under this calm pall of night, she could think clearly. Breezes from the north refreshed her mind as much as brushing her teeth refreshed her mouth. New thoughts poured in and out of her brain like people poured in and out of shops, each with a new feeling that had to be subdued immediately. Feelings like anger, followed by wonder, then pain, followed by comfort. It was a surprise that she kept them in such good control so that nothing had blown up yet.

Thoughts linked hand in hand with the feelings. How could he have betrayed her? Why hadn't she seen it earlier? Was she really so stupid? Thoughts that made her want to die for feeling so weak, so helpless, so used.

Then there were the thoughts that made her wonder and touched her heart in places she had never been touched. Why had he come to see her? Why had she hugged him? Why had he blushed? These made her feel alienated in her own body. Like she should know what they all meant.

But even she didn't have all the answers all the time, and trying to dig up answers for such thoughts was giving her a headache. She had come up to the roof to escape them, not return to them.

She pulled her dangling legs up onto the roof and turned to return to her room via the hole in the ceiling. About to drop back into it, the click and swish of the roof's door opening made her turn in time to see the green boy freeze.

"Oh, you're up here…" he spoke, mostly to himself. He paused to think briefly before turning. "I'll let you be alo-"

"No!" She found herself shouting it before she could think. For a reason she knew very well, she did not want to be left alone for once. She needed someone there, not necessarily to talk to, but just to reassure her that she wouldn't be left alone again. To reassure her that no one was leaving her like that for at least a while.

Her teammate seemed surprised as he turned around to face her, the feeling clearly written across his face. "O… kay…" he replied apprehensively, as if unsure as to what she wanted. He made his way over to the edge where he sat down and patted the space next to him. She followed his action and sat down beside him so that they could stare over the ocean now and not the harsh, artificial light of the city. The moon illuminated it beautifully, and made both of them feel almost unworthy of basking in its pale light.

"It looked so lonely up there in the sky, all by itself," she murmured subconsciously. The comment received a stare from the green one.

"Yeah, but it's not always alone. When it wants to, it goes and visits the sun during the day. Then neither of them are alone," he replied after a moment of thought.

"You can't always see it during the day, though. Sometimes the sun drowns it out," she replied.

"The sun would never do that on purpose. It's trying to fill the moon up with light, so it can be seen and happy even when it has to be alone during the night." She looked at him curiously. He had turned his attention back to the glowing orb before them, and she suddenly knew that they were no longer talking about the sun and moon.

"Well, I think the sun is just a big attention hog," she told him, a ghost of a smirk visible on her grey face. He blushed as he realized that he had figured out his metaphor and did his best to keep looking forward.

"And I think the moon is wonderful, even if not many people appreciate or understand it completely." Now it was her turn to blush. He turned his head towards hers and smiled.

"Raven, I'm there for you, you know that? And I meant what I said about you not being alone. You just say the word and I'm there, alright?" he told her softly. She nodded.

"I know, Beast Boy. I know…" she whispered. She offered him a ghost of a smile, and he held out his arms. The ghost became a real smile. "… and not a chance." He grinned genuinely and laughed.

"Now _there's_ my Raven," he said, and they resumed their moon watching in a comfortable silence.

Raven thought many things during that time. She questioned if she liked the boy sitting next to her as anything more than a friend, but quickly shut off the thought and all others happily. Raven didn't care if he was her lover or friend. As long as Beast Boy was there, nothing mattered.

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End file.
